Delitescent

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Lying concealed or out of sight, hidden away from view until discovered
2. Remaining hidden and secluded, tucked away where it cannot easily be seen
3. Describing something kept out of view, lurking in concealment or latent in hiding

Etymology: "Delitescent" describes something that is lying hidden or dormant, most often a disease that has entered the body but has not yet produced visible symptoms. It comes from Latin "delitescens," the present participle of "delitescere," meaning "to hide away," itself built from "de-" (down, away) and "latescere," an inceptive form of "latere," to lie hidden. The Latin verb gave English a small family of words about concealment, including "latent," which shares the same root. The English word is a learned borrowing, so its meaning stayed close to the Latin: something concealed and waiting to show itself. Medical writers found it especially useful for infections that incubate quietly before symptoms appear, a sense that keeps the original idea of lying low intact.

Synonyms: latent, hidden, concealed, dormant

Antonyms: manifest, apparent, visible